Agent Paws
by SHIELDing-things
Summary: "We should get a pet," Skye murmured. "Like a dog or something." Story of an innocent conversation leading to a new, feline, resident of The Bus.
1. An Adoption

**The ending of T.R.A.C.K.S emotionally destroyed me and I'm really not ready for the next episode so I'm coping with all the angst by writing fluffy team stories. Hope you like it!**

* * *

"We should get a pet," Skye murmured seconds after sliding off one of the lab's countertops and was now leaning against it with an expression that showed she was deep in thought.

"Hm?" Fitz was the first to notice what the hacker said as he glanced up from his work and tilted his head at her.

"We should get a pet," Skye repeated, this time sounding surer of herself. "Like a dog or something."

"You think Coulson would let us?" The Scot asked with a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Wouldn't it be against protocol?" He turned to his counterpart for this explanation who took a few moments to think of an answer.

"I suppose if it wasn't disrupting our work then there shouldn't be a problem. They let animals in off-campus apartments after all." Simmons answered which caused Skye to smile widely and stroll over to the two scientists.

"So a dog or a cat?" She questioned when they attempted to turn back to their work.

"A cat would be more practical," Simmons stated then drifted slightly. "But a dog could be fun too. We could get one of the trained sniffer dogs and take it on missions with us." She added with a small amount of excitement spilling into her voice.

"We _could_ have a monkey…"

"_Fitz,_" The girls groaned in unison. "We can't have a pet monkey; it's illegal in half the countries we stop in!" Simmons reminded the engineer when he still didn't look convinced.

"We're stopping of in Nevada for fuel and food soon, right?" Skye asked after a few moments of quiet and received twin nods from the scientists. "So maybe we could visit one of the animal shelters while we're there."

Fitzsimmons smiled widely at this then proceeded to follow the hacker out of the lab, through the cargo dock, up the stairs and through several corridors until they were standing outside Coulson's office. All three adults paused then and turned to each other, huddling as they worked out their plan of approach. "One of you two should talk about the benefits of having animals around," Skye whispered while pointing to the Brits. "Use a bunch of science-y terms, that'll help."

"There _was_ a study that suggested living with an animal has multiple health benefits and can increase the production of endorphins in the body," Simmons murmured in a distracted voice.

"Good, you make sure to say that," Skye instructed then turned to Fitz. "Just try not to mention the monkey, alright?" The man pulled a sulking face before reluctantly nodding and the trio straightened up. "Right, let's do this."

* * *

"I still don't see why I need to come," Ward stated with a deadpan expression causing Fitzsimmons to let out a little huff.

"_Because,_" Skye began her explanation for the third time. "The shelter recommends that the whole family comes along so we can make sure it'll like all of us."

"I won't even spend that much time with whatever you choose so it won't matter if it likes me." Ward replied as he turned his back on the group and walked toward the metal staircase.

"Just come to help us pick it out then," Simmons pleaded as they trailed along after him.

"I don't _care_ what you get," He stated while turning and looking down to the disheartened group. "I'm not an animal person. If I come along they probably won't even give you the thing."

"Everyone's an animal person, Ward." Skye teased with a slight smile.

He was letting out a little sigh with an unconvinced look when he heard the door behind him open. "Let's get this over with." May grumbled as she followed Coulson down the staircase, popped open the passenger seat to Lola and slipped inside.

Fitzsimmons shared a twin smile as they practically skipped off to the short bus while Ward glanced round, almost pinching himself to make sure that they really were being dragged off to look at _cats_.

After a few seconds he rolled his eyes, let out a small sigh then joined Fitzsimmons in the back of the van. Moments later Lola was speeding out of the cargo bay, quickly followed by Skye in the van.

* * *

"All cats in this section are available to adopt," Lisa, the team's assigned helper for picking out the perfect pet, explained as she led them into a long corridor with built in cages for the animals. "Would you like me to help you show some of our most suitable pets?" She added with a bright but artificial smile.

"No, we'll be fine looking around ourselves." Coulson answered while returning the smile. The shelter helper nodded, told them to come get her if they found one they liked then disappeared out the same door she had come through. Fitzsimmons and Skye waited with bated breath for the small nod Coulson gave them before they raced off down the corridor, pausing at each cage to make doe eyes at the feline occupants.

Ward let out another small huff as he followed the younger agents down the pathway, glancing in occasionally when they seemed to take particular interest in one. Coulson and May shared the same tiny smile on their lips as Ward tried his best not to look too interested at a jet black cat with huge yellow eyes.

Fitz had been staring down at black and white cat, which was currently refusing to look back at the young scientist, until Simmons and Skye brought him down to a kitten four cages down. "He's _adorable,_" Skye cooed while kneeling down and pushing her finger through the bars to scratch behind the feline's ears.

"He's also been reserved," Coulson stated after flicking through the board clipped onto the cage.

Skye put on a pout as she stood and began a slow walk down the remaining corridor. "All the nice ones are already taken,"

"What about that one, Ward?" Coulson called to the younger agent who had his fingers curled round the wire of the cage and looking down at the cat that was staring back up at him. Ward took a moment to hear Coulson's question before he glanced up, stepped away and put on a disinterred look while shrugging.

All five other adults smirked as they neared the cage. Fitzsimmons and Skye quickly began competing for the affection of the 2 year old cat that purred loudly and rubbed the top of her head against the extended fingers. May and Coulson craned their necks to get peeks of the little cat making such a noise while Ward smiled slightly and busied himself with flicking through the files. "It looks like she hasn't been reserved yet," He said brightly then cleared his throat in an attempt to hide his happiness.

"I'll go get Lisa then," Coulson stated after a few seconds then began a quick walk back up the corridor. He found the woman within a few minutes of searching and after nearly an hour of convincing, with a fair amount of bribery and flashing badges, they were loading the cat and all she would need into the back of the van.

And with a final warning to take good care of the little feline, they were speeding back off to The Bus.

* * *

A wave of yawns had passed through Fitz, Skye and Simmons as they all tried to stay up just a little bit later so they could enjoy their time with newest member of the team. "We still need to think of a name for her," Skye mumbled as she tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and looked down at the feline that was pawing Fitz's legs.

Coulson glanced up from the book in his hands. "Well, she's your four's cat. If you're going to be looking after her then you should be the ones to name her." He stated before taking a sip of his scotch and returning to his book.

Silence returned to the room, only broken by the load purrs emulating from the pleased cat as she circled the laps of Fitzsimmons and Skye. "What about Ivory?" Skye offered while looking thoughtfully at the cat.

"You know ivory is white, right?" Fitz said with a smirk.

"It's _ironic_, Fitz." The hacker retorted with a roll of the eyes and tried to resisting as the engineer dramatically mimicked her.

"We could call her Blackdown," Simmons murmured as she ran a hand down from the cat's forehead all the way to the tip of her tail.

"Isn't that a place in England?" Skye asked then pulled a face when she got a nod from Fitzsimmons and quickly shook her head.

"How about Nox?" Fitz suggested.

"Like in Harry Potter?"

"It's actually Latin for 'night' but I guess you could use it from the movie too…"

Skye shook her head then sighed and leant back into the sofa. "You two are hopeless at picking names," She mumbled in a defeated tone.

There was a small amount of quiet in the room before Ward decided to add in his suggestion. "What about calling her Friday?"

Skye mulled over the idea for a few seconds before her forehead creased in confusion. "As in Black Friday?" She asked.

Ward nodded as he watched the cat collapse into the gap between Fitzsimmons and roll onto her back for someone to scratch her belly. "It's just an idea," He added in a low voice while shrugging slightly and turning his eyes away from the feline.

"It's perfect!" Skye announced, her face splitting into a grin as she leant forward and cooed down at the cat. "Hey, Friday!" She whispered while scratching the special spot behind her ear that made the purr increase in volume even more.

"Well, know that that's settled, you should all try to get some rest. Friday will still be there tomorrow." Coulson said as he stood brushed the creases out of his suit and carried the book off to his room.

Skye looked a little disappointed as Fitzsimmons stood, stretched, said their goodnights and strolled off to their bunks. She hung back a few minutes to pet Friday for a little longer before she gently picked the cat off her lap and placed her back on the sofa. "Night, Friday." She mumbled while dropping a kiss on the top of her head then turned and walked away. She paused at the door and leant against the frame as Ward finished his drink then gathered up the glasses and wandered toward the kitchen. "Aren't you going to bed?" She asked which drew his attention toward her.

"Yeah, I'm just washing these up first." He answered while gesturing toward the glasses in his hands.

She took a moment to consider this before smiling. "I'll see you in the morning," She added before yawning and turning to walk to her bunk.

Ward carried the glasses over to the sink, cleaned and dried them in silence before carefully placing them back behind the bar, Friday trailing round under his feet the whole time. He watched the cat for a few moments before he knelt down and ran a hand over her smooth, dark coat. She let out a loud meow which made him smirk as she slinked in between his arms and legs.

After a few minutes he yawned, ruffled the fur on her head then stood and stretched. "Goodnight, Friday." He murmured as he wandered off to his own bed.


	2. Settling in

Ward had always been the first to be up and about out of the youngest four agents. Skye liked to sleep in late anyway but it didn't help she insisted on staying up past midnight on her laptop doing nothing in particular. Simmons was an early riser but would often stay in bed until the familiar sounds of other people moving around would echo through The Bus and, well, Fitz would get up when Simmons did.

Ward liked the small amount of peace he had in the morning. May and Coulson weren't people that liked to spend the early hours with others so they would often just grab a coffee and go find somewhere quiet to fully wake up, leaving Ward to enjoy the lounge all to himself.

As The Bus became familiar territory for the operations agent his little habits developed into a morning routine he became comfortable. He would wake up at 4:45, dress, have breakfast and a cup of black coffee in the lounge then relax while flipping through SHIELD news on his tablet until it was time for Skye's training.

The first morning after getting Friday was different.

He woke up to the sound of his alarm clock beeping out its usual rhythm. A strange weight on his chest set him on alert as his eyes flickered open to see the black cat napping on top of him. "Friday," He let out a soft groan while relaxing slightly, safe in the knowledge his would-be attacker was just the little feline.

At the mention of her name Friday slowly opened her eyes and let out a noisy purr. She watched him for a few moments before pawing at his skin then standing, circling his chest and attempting to settle back down just as he lifted her off him.

The 2 year old curled and twisted round Ward's legs as he dressed himself, made the bed and strolled out to the kitchen. She occasional nudged at his ankles to hurry him along while he switched on the coffee machine and poured his cereal. While the coffee brewed Ward opened a can of cat food, forked it out onto Friday's purple dish and placed it down for her.

Friday pounced on the food like she'd never been fed before, something the team became accustomed to over the following months as a Friday quirk. Ward smiled slightly as he knelt down to run a hand down the cat's back. "You're an impatient little girl, aren't you?" He whispered, almost under his breath, as he petted Friday a few more times before standing and bringing his breakfast into the lounge.

He ate in peace for the first few minutes while the feline demolished her food but, once she had licked the plate clean, she came bouncing over again to disturb him. "Not now, Friday." Ward murmured as she attempted to nuzzle her way into his lap. After four failed attempts the cat sat back and watched him.

She livened up again when Ward went to the kitchen to place his mug, bowl and spoon in the dishwasher but had a look of confusion when he sat back down and began flicking through SHIELD articles on his tablet. She kept a steady watch on him with her huge yellow eyes for several minutes before giving up, hopping off the couch and disappearing out of the room.

Ward glanced up when the feline finally stopped nudging and pawing at him in time to see the feline skulking down the corridor but he quickly returned to a SHEILD report on a recent armory bust. There were a few minutes of silence before a low huff came from one of the bunks.

Fitz had been sleeping peacefully in his bed when Friday slipped in through the gap in his door and pounced onto his stomach, knocking almost the air out of his lungs and rudely awakening him from a particularly nice dream. He watched the cat with a scornful look as she pawed at the blanket that cover his feet before collapsing down and rolling onto her back.

"Bad, Friday," Fitz muttered as he threw back the blanket and scooped the cat up. "Waking Fitz up is very bad," He added while carrying her down the corridor, opening the door to Simmons' bunk and dumping her at the end of the bed.

Simmons had to restrain herself from giggling as she glanced up to see Fitz, bedhead and all, glaring at the black cat that didn't pay him any attention. "Was Fitz being mean to you, Friday?" The biochemist asked as the feline nudged past the book she was holding to flop onto her lap.

"She woke me up," Fitz stated in a slightly insulted voice from his science counterpart taking the side of the cat. "If she's allowed to roam round The Bus then she needs to know my bunk is out of bounds,"

Simmons' smile increased even further as she marked her page then stood and cradled Friday in her arms. "There's this new invention you might have heard of," She said while leading the engineer out of her room and through the corridor. "It's called a door."

Friday began squirming as the duo approached the lounge until Simmons gently placed her down on the ground and she raced into the room. By time they had closed the few yards between them and the lounge Friday had pounced up onto Ward's couch and had preceded to drape herself across his shoulders.

Fitzsimmons shared a twin smile as the agent scowled down at his tablet. "Not a word," He warned without even taking his eyes off the text in front of him. The scientists smirked to themselves while they went to the kitchen to make more coffee.

Ten minutes later the familiar sounds of Skye's alarm rang through the second floor of The Bus. The buzzing tune played out twice before it was turned off and the half-awake body stumbled to stand up and wander to the lounge.

Skye froze in place when she noticed the cat curled around Ward, her feet pressed against his collarbone with her head resting under his chin. "That is adorable!" She grinned while lifting up her phone to snap a picture of the little scene, Ward shooting her a look but unable to stop her without disturbing Friday. "How long have they been like that?" The hacker teased while glancing over to Fitzsimmons.

"Very funny," Ward grumbled as he tried to stand but got a claw hooked under his skin for the movement. "Will someone get her off of me now?"

Skye seemed to consider whether or not it was worth extra pushups during training just to make Ward suffer a little longer before she stepped forward, lifted the cat off him and placed her down on the couch.

Ward stood with a huff just before Friday could settle back down on his lap, placed his tablet on the coffee table and locked eyes with Skye who was still struggling not to giggle. "Time for training," He stated, finding it difficult to remain serious with the three adults smirking at him, before marching out into the corridor.

Skye watched Ward's retreating back with a slight smile then waited for Fitzsimmons to go to their bunks to get dressed before she followed her SO down to the cargo bay that doubled as her training area. Friday watched her owners from the sofa until she was alone at which point she hopped off the chair and found her way to the staircase leading to the bay.

The feline paced around the first step for several minutes before she sat down an inch from it and let out a loud meow. Skye and Ward glanced up from the punch bag to smile slightly at the cat. "C'mon, Friday," Skye called while kneeling down and waving a finger in an attempt to coax her down.

Friday tilted her head at the hacker then let out another wailing meow as an obvious request to be carried down. Skye was strolling toward the staircase to oblige her when Ward called her back. "She'll come down when she's ready," He stated then swung the punch bag gently toward her.

If Friday were human she would have been pouting by that point as she watched the training session continue without her. She returned to pacing around the step for a few minutes before she paused, sniffed the ground then bolted downward. Ward and Skye could see how proud the little cat was of making it to the bottom but instead of joining the two she decided to rocket back up them again. Then down and up and down. Even Fitzsimmons wandering down the staircase and into the lab wouldn't distract her. Friday had found her favorite toy on The Bus and she intended to play with it all day if she could.

* * *

**So thanks to all the great feedback I decided it would be fun to add another chapter! This one came out a little Ward-centric but I think there'll be another one or two chapters to follow this so I'll get Fitzsimmons and Skye more involved again in those. Thanks to Jess S1 and everyone else who gave me some ideas for moments with Friday. If you've got any ideas for the next couple chapters feel free to drop those into a review or into my tumblr askbox (shield-the-revolution).**


	3. A Nightmare and a Rescuer

It had been twenty three days since Skye had had a nightmare. She knew it was silly to keep track but now she wasn't having them so frequently it was a reassurance she wasn't likely to have one that night. In fact, she'd become so used to not having them that on the fourth night of owning Friday the thought of having a nightmare had barely crossed her mind as she climbed into bed and fell asleep.

The dream kept to the familiar theme of abandonment as nine year old Skye was placed back into the care of St. Agnes orphanage from a foster family she had become particularly attached to. She was faced with the image of her foster mom telling her that no one could possibly love the frightened little girl when she became aware of something nudging against her hand. In the confused state between sleep and waking she felt Friday press her head into the palm of her hand then pounce onto the free space on the bed and place one paw on Skye's stomach.

Her eyes fluttered open into the semi-darkness, sucking in several deep breaths before she could recognize the shape that was pawing her as Friday. She dropped her head back onto the pillow and let out a sigh of relief then lifted a shaky hand to stroke the top of the feline's head.

She waited patiently for Skye to completely calm herself down and for her to turn on her side before she nuzzled her body close to the woman's mouth. "Thanks, Friday." Skye mumbled into the cat's fur, placing a soft kiss on her head then relaxing and letting sleep wash over her.

xxxxxxxxxx

Skye placed her laptop down beside her bed, swallowed a yawn and made her way to the kitchen. She was as quiet as possible as she went through her late night routine, opening the microwave just before it beeped and woke anyone up before picking up her steaming cup of milk.

She was walking back to her bunk, blowing down on the hot drink, when she heard a little murmur. She couldn't quite place the noise at first. It was similar to the sound a child makes at the back of their throat when they're scared but it had a sleepy haze wrapped round it that made Skye's forehead crease in confusion.

She placed the glass of milk down on the ground then followed the corridor a little further to where the sound was coming from. It only took a moment for her to realize she was stood outside Ward's bunk, her hand placed on the door as she struggled to know what to do. She glanced around her for an answer, catching Friday just as she dipped her nose into the lukewarm milk.

"Hey," Skye whispered in a barely audible voice as she crept back down the corridor and scooped the cat up. "My milk," She murmured while wiping the white liquid off of the fur around her mouth, a thought reaching her just as she was about to turn back to her bunk. "Time to earn your keep, Friday" She added then silently carried the little feline down the corridor.

She paused again at Ward's bunk, hesitating only a moment before she pushed the door open and a slit of light brightened the room enough for her to see inside. Ward's limbs had become easily tangled in the sheets that seemed to suffocate him in his dream but he had finally managed to kick them off as he lay in a heap on top of his bed, a glaze of sweat on his forehead and a genuinely _frightened_ look on his face.

Skye was noiseless in her approach, her hands cautious as she placed the cat down on the tiny space Ward didn't have his arms stretched out over. Friday turned her head up to Skye long enough for the hacker to nod down at the sleeping man and the feline turned her attention to him. She watched Friday nuzzle against Ward's face for a moment before she tiptoed back to the doorway. A small smile pulled on the corner of Skye's lips as his breathing steadied out into a normal pace and he rested a hand on Friday's side.

Skye had closed Ward's bunk, collected her now-cold milk and was almost back in her bunk when the two scientists peaked out of Simmons' bunk. "Do you think we should tell them we saw?" Fitz asked in a whisper as he stepped out into the corridor.

Simmons glanced down the corner then looked back at the engineer and smiled slightly. "Absolutely not,"

Fitz's lips tugged into a smirk then he nodded in agreement, mumbled a goodnight and turned back to his own bunk. Simmons watched the door of Ward's bunk for a second longer before she slipped back into her room and drifted off into sleep.

* * *

**Huge thanks to Salkri Kachemench for the idea for this chapter. I loved the idea as soon as I read it but I had a little trouble starting off during a patch of writer's block. Anyway, it finally cleared so I thought I'd get a small chapter uploaded. Hope you liked it! Please review if you have time or add a suggestion to what you'd like to see Friday and the team get up to next. **


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